SPRINGFIELD, MO.- The The Springfield Art Museum will be opening Ancient Artifacts Abroad, on Saturday, December 9 in the Hartman Gallery. This is the third and final of three guest-curated exhibitions mounted in this space during 2023. These special exhibitions are the result of collaborations between Museum staff, and staff and students at Missouri State University. These collaborations range from providing space and resources to mount exhibitions, to the study of permanent collection objects, to hands-on learning opportunities in museum work, including art curation, interpretive activities, and public programs.

The objects in this special exhibition are travelers – across both time and space. These artifacts, drawn from the Museum’s permanent collection, either come from or were inspired by items from the ancient Mediterranean world. Ancient Artifacts Abroad considers how and why objects moved around in antiquity and also how they traversed social, cultural, and religious spaces over time. The exhibition’s title seeks to ‘flip the script’ by reminding visitors that these artifacts are in fact “abroad,” having been brought to Springfield from their original landscapes. This will be the first time that many of these artifacts have been on display at the Museum.

Missouri State University students contributed to artifact research and the exhibition’s curation, under the guidance of Professors Dr. Julia Troche (Associate Professor, Department of History) and Dr. Bryan Brinkman (Assistant Professor, Department of Languages, Cultures, and Religions), with direction from the Museum’s curatorial and education staff.

This exhibition includes Spanish language translations for all exhibition text.

The Springfield Art Museum is Springfield, Missouri’s oldest cultural institution, founded in 1928. A department of the City of Springfield, the Museum invites you to connect with the world, your community, and yourself through active engagement with art objects.

The Springfield Art Museum
Ancient Artifacts Abroad
December 9th, 2023 - June 16th, 2024